State Control

The North of England P&I club and Intercargo have published a second edition
of their unique and popular guide on how shipowners should prepare for
port-state control inspections. Port State Control - A Guide for Cargo
Ships has been updated throughout and includes a comprehensive new chapter
on the commercial implications of delays, detentions and banning orders.
According to Tony Baker of the North of England's risk-management
department, port-state control inspections are increasing in intensity and
scope every year. 'In 2002 over 60,000 inspections were carried out by the
top five port-state control regions, resulting in the detention of more than
3,500 ships. The introduction of the ISPS Code and new IMO con conventions
on anti-fouling and ballast water, due for adoption in 2004, will further
increase the risk to voyages unless shipowners are properly prepared for
inspections,' he says
Baker points out that the commercial implications for a shipowner of failing
a port-state control inspection can be severe. 'Apart from loss of
reputation and future earnings, a failed inspection can compromise an
owner's ability to fulfil contractual obligations under charterparties,
contracts for the carriage of goods and sale-and-purchase agreements,' he
says.
The 48-page illustrated A4 guide has been written by Intercargo's former
safety, environmental and technical manager Peter Kidman in association with

The U.S. Coast Guard said it detained the 579-foot motor vessel Strategic Synergy, Tuesday, requiring the vessel to remain in Portland until numerous safety violations are corrected by the ship’s crew.
The Strategic Synergy, owned by SBC Synergy PTE. LTD., intends to load grain in Portland and will depart for Ecuador after the safety violations have been met.
Port State Control Officers from the Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Portland discovered the discrepancies during a

The Paris MOU on Port State Control will start strict enforcement of the ISM Code on 1 July during a 3-month Concentrated Inspection Campaign. Last month the Port State Control Committee of the Paris MOU agreed to verify compliance with the ISM on all ships due for an inspection in one of the ports within the region. No extensions will be granted to the ship types which become compliant on July 1, 2002. Other ship types which already have been certified in accordance with the ISM Code will

The European Union (EU) is funding a €1.2 million grant contract, signed between IMO and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to support training and capacity-building activities aimed at enhancing flag State implementation and port State control in Western and Central Africa, with a view to upgrading the region’s maritime administrations and preparing its States for the mandatory IMO audit scheme.

Eight foreign flagged ships were under detention in UK ports during November 2014 after failing Port State Control (PSC) inspection.
During November, there were 6 new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port. 2 vessels remained under detention from previous months and 5 vessels were released during November. A total of 3 vessels remain under detention at the end of November.
In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s Inquiry into the prevention

U.S. Coast Guard personnel on Monday detained the oil tanker Overseas Jademar in Port Angeles after several safety violations were discovered during a port state control exam.
Marshall Island-flagged tanker Overseas Jademar was en route from Malaysia to Anacortes, Washington to offload cargo when Port State Control officers from Sector Puget Sound found several significant safety violations during a port state control exam

The European Commission sent reasoned opinions – the last step before lodging a case to the Court of Justice – to Italy and Malta for failure to respect EU legislation on port State control of shipping. Latvia was also sent a reasoned opinion for failure to transpose into national law EU legislation on maritime safety and the prevention of pollution by ships.
“While the European Commission has just adopted a third set of measures to reinforce maritime safety

The IMO issued a Circular providing guidance relating to the implementation of SOLAS Chapter XI-2 and the ISPS Code. It was pointed out that a written Declaration of Security is generally unnecessary in routine situations and that port state control officials at subsequent port calls should not expect such documents to be in the ship’s records. Port facility security plans should specifically include provisions relating to access to visiting ships by owners’ representatives

In May 2013, the Committee of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) adopted amendments to the Memorandum to include the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) as a relevant instrument. This makes the MLC requirements officially subject to port state control (PSC), with the potential for more detailed inspections, expanded inspections and the possibility of detention in serious cases of non-compliance or where hazardous conditions exist.

Port State Control officers from U.S. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound detained the container ship MOL Precision in Seattle, Thursday after discovering several significant violations during a port state control exam of the Panamanian-flagged ship, which will remain in Sector Puget Sound's Captain of the Port zone until the violations are corrected.
The coast guard said violations included defective oil bilge line filtering equipment

An influential Australian senator has asked Japan to buy components for its Soryu submarines from Australian companies to boost its chances of winning a major contract to supply Canberra with a fleet of submarines.
Independent South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon made the request to submarine

The Simrad Professional Series has launched a new lineup of professional-grade Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS)– theSimrad MARIS ECDIS900 MK5 and MK15.Available in 19-, 24-, and 26-inch widescreen monitors

The master and owners of the Hong Kong registered bulk carrier ANL Kardinia have been prosecuted for illegally dumping garbage in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Prosecuted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), One Armania Shipping Ltd

The Maritime Authorities of the Tokyo and the Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control will launch a joint Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Crew Familiarization for Enclosed Space Entry.
The aim of the CIC is to ensure effective procedures and measures are

Japan will join competitive bidding to sell Australia a fleet of stealth submarines, the government said on Monday, a move expected to require Tokyo to supply Canberra with classified data.
The development comes as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe moves to strengthen security ties with ally the United

The Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding has positioned the International Register of Shipping (IRS) closer to the higher ranking achievers on its performance list, following the classification society’s success during the 2012-2014 period.

Some 50% of crews working on offshore support vessels are willing to compromise safety rather than say ‘no’ to clients or senior management, while nearly 80% believe commercial pressures could influence the safety of their working practices.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has prosecuted two shipping companies and their masters for two separate marine pollution incidents within the Great Barrier Reef.
Tokyo based Perses Maritima Ltd and the master of its Japan registered vehicle carrier Asteria Leader were

Two shipping companies and their masters have been prosecuted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) for two separate marine pollution incidents within the Great Barrier Reef.
Tokyo based Perses Maritima Ltd and the master of its Japan registered vehicle carrier Asteria Leader

Coral reefs in the vicinity waters of Legazpi, Albay were damaged by a Vietnam-flagged cargo vessel which ran aground 900 yards off the entrance of Legazpi City Port last Monday, June 15.
MV Ocean 03, with 4,532 gross tonnages and manned by 21 Vietnamese crew

Maritime services group Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) will unveil its new Voyager suite of products that for the first time connects ship and shore through one e-navigation solution.
Scheduled to debut at events in London, Singapore and Hamburg on June 17, 18 and 19

The hijacked oil tanker Orkim Harmony has been released by pirates, who fled in the ship's rescue boat, Malaysian navy and maritime officials said on Friday.
The Orkim Harmony, hijacked on June 11 off the Malaysian coast by pirates reportedly armed with pistols and machetes

Seagull Maritime has launched a new onboard training course covering Enclosed Space Entry in ships, at a time when the issue is being brought into sharp focus by industry regulators.
A committee meeting of the Ports Memorandum on Port State Control (Paris MOU) in May unveiled plans for a

Seagull Maritime has launched a new onboard training course covering Enclosed Space Entry in ships, at a time when the issue is being brought into sharp focus by industry regulators.
A committee meeting of the Ports Memorandum on Port State Control (Paris MOU) in May unveiled plans for a

Ki-tack Lim from the Republic of Korea has been elected as the new Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), with effect from January 1, 2016, for an initial term of four years, the IMO announced.
The current president of Busan Port Authority